Nottingham Forest manager Chris Hughton will be looking to build a squad that is capable of pushing on in the Championship next year following a lacklustre 2020/21 campaign which culminated in the club having to settle for a 17th place finish.

After opting to release a host of players earlier this week, the Reds boss will now have to nail his transfer recruitment in the coming months.

Considering that they are short of options at centre-back following the decision to part ways with Michael Dawson and Michael Hefele, Forest may opt to focus on drafting in some re-enforcements in this particular position.

Therefore, it is hardly a shock that the Reds have recently been linked with a move for an experienced defender who is currently playing in Spain's second-tier.

According to El Periodico de Aragon (as cited by Sport Witness), Forest are reportedly interested in signing Mathieu Peybernes from Almeria.

The 30-year-old is also being monitored by Swansea City who had a bid rejected last summer.

However, it is understood that Real Zaragoza are leading the race to seal a permanent deal for Peybernes who joined the club on loan earlier this year.

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The defender is seemingly keen to extend his stay at the Estadio La Romareda yet negotiations between Almeria and Zaragoza could prove to be tough.

It is thought that Almeria want to secure a transfer fee for Peybernes instead of letting him leave for free as his current deal runs until 2022.

Despite attracting attention from Forest and Swansea, the former Lorient man prefers a move to another Spanish club instead of a switch to a British-based outfit.

GIVEMESPORT's Joshua Cole says...

Although Peybernes possesses a great of experience at senior level due to the fact that he has played 283 games during his career, there is no guarantee that he will be able to cope with competitiveness that the Championship is famed for.

With Zaragoza eyeing up a permanent swoop, Forest may find it beneficial to switch their focus to players who know exactly what it takes to thrive in this division as it could give them a better chance of reaching new heights next season.

Any potential business may depend on whether the Reds are able to keep Joe Worrall at the City Ground who is currently being heavily linked with a move to Burnley.

Whilst Forest will unquestionably be able to secure a sizeable fee for the defender, there is no guarantee that they will be able to draft in a sufficient replacement for him as he managed to average an impressive WhoScored match rating of 6.74 in the Championship last season.

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